Posts Tagged ‘layers’

Welcome back, pretty people! Earlier this week we did part 1 of this postwhich was all about what to ask for when you go see your hairstylist for a haircut. We covered the most wanted haircuts for fine, normal, thin, straight, slightly wavy textures and told you what to ask for to get the most out of your salon visit. In this post, we’re talking about thicker, coarser, wavier, curlier textures. Keep in mind, you’ll always want to listen to what your hairstylist has to say because we didn’t all go to the same school and mine is not the end-all-be-all opinion. Different haircutters go through different training so ask for what you want and then be open minded to what your pro has to say, since they’re the ones with eyes on your particular head of hair. A good haircutter should have no problem doing a proper consulation with you beofre you get shampooed. You’re probably paying a decent amount, if not a lot, and you should get what you want. That being said, let’s talk options!

ASK FOR:

some weight to be taken out of the ends.

some layers to be added without looking chunky. I usally like to cut layers on hair like this and then I go back in using the thinning shears to take out any lines or unwanted weight.

movement.

tapered ends.

GOOD FOR:

super thick blunt hair that feels too heavy.

anyone who feels like they have a “wall” of hair.

ASK FOR:

graduated layers. the sole purpose of graduation is to build weight. with fine curls, you usually want to layer while adding volume and this is my favorite way.

bangs to be incorporated into the hairstyle if you want additional wave to come out. The shorter you cut wavy hair, obviously the lighter it gets, so you’re going to see more volume from adding bangs. Just be sure that’s what you want! Talk to your pro.

something that you can put a little product in, diffuse and go.

GOOD FOR:

fine, wavy hair that gets flat when it gets long.

ASK FOR:

your waves to be “sliced into”. Slicing is exactly what it sounds like– your hairdresser will run his/her scissors down a small section of hair which will taper the wave and make it a little thinner toward the ends. this takes away width and often makes the hair appear even longer.

something that elongates.

something to take away the “triangle” caused by thick, wavy hair that’s been cut too blunt.

GOOD FOR:

thick, natrually wavy hair.

boho vibes/surfer girl vibes.

those who love to wash + wear. The air-dryers!

ASK FOR:

layers to remove heavy weight first, and texture added second by slicing though heavier waves to lighten them up.

something that gives volume and enhances texture.

tapered ends.

movement.

GOOD FOR:

thick wavy hair

strong wave patterns

bulky ends

“puffy” waves

anyone who likes to refine unruly waves using a curling wand or iron

ASK FOR:

your hair to be cut dry first. (Wear your hair clean-ish, in it’s natural texture to the salon so your hairstylist can see it the way you wear it. We don’t have time to sit there while your hair air dries after being shampooed so it’s up to you to come in with it so we can see it the way you love to wear it. We want to see where the weight is, how much shrinkage you have before/after it’s shampooed, and how relaxed it gets after a day or two.)

graduation. You want each layer to stack up on the next so you can get more bounce! Graduation will build weight and volume in the places you want it but will remove weight from the bottom so it’s not a giant pyramid shape.

versatility. If you straighten it sometimes, tell your hairdresser so he/she can blow you out and make sure the cut looks good with straight hair, too. I always encourage natural texture but some people feel most comfortable with it blown and smooth and that’s okay. Just inform your hairstylist so they don’t cut it to be curly and then you end up with longer bits and pieces when it’s straightened.

ask for your hair not to be pulled too much when cut. I like to cut my general shape by lifting but barely pulling at all. Then I go back in and slice though any curls that appear too thick/bulky while gently pulling. Some people understand cutting curly hair and some people don’t. Do your best to find someone who either has curly hair themselves or specializes in curls. It’s a different art than cutting straight or wavy hair and it takes longer to grow back so do your research. It will be worth it!

GOOD FOR:

naturally curly hair.

curly hair that gets wide, heavy and weighed down.

ASK FOR:

someone who specializes in curly hair, first and foremost. When your hair is this tightly coiled, you don’t have room to mess around. Ask them if they specialize in super curly hair and if they know all about various curl types. If the answer is no, then BYE.

your natural texture to be enhanced and refined.

definition on the ends by subtle thinning or slicing to give shape to the circumference.

any dried, broken ends to be removed while hair is dry.

whatever circumference you want. be clear about how far you want it to come out from your head when it’s dry. (I like to cut dry with a little spritz of water on the section I’m working on just to prevent breakage as I’m working through. If you cut it after shampooing, you really don’t know how much it will stretch until it’s redried and restyled. Better to cut it dry with a little water spritzing, then shampoo when you’re done)

GOOD FOR:

tight, coiled, kinky curls.

Hope this helps you guys when talking to your stylist! I just have to disclose that none of these photos are ours. Rarely do we do posts using photos from others, but I wanted to get images that speak a universal language.

If you’re a hairstylist or even someone who’s had a great experiene with a certain cut, by all means, please share it below in the comments. We love exchanging information and you may really help someone by spilling your story!

Two things that have been consistently problematic for most people I meet (or hear from via email) is that they are confused about layers and equally confused about how to ask for what they want from their hairstylist. I wanted to start a new series to help us get through that together! My hope is that with a little extra information, nobody will have to suffer through a haircut they didn’t want ever again!

For this first post, we’re going to deal with straight and slightly wavy hair. And for the next post we’ll do stronger waves to curly. There’s so much information and I don’t want to confuse anyone further, so if you’re rocking strong waves or curls be patient and wait til my next post. I promise it will be worth it!

Below I’ve created some visuals for some of my favorite types of haircuts. I didn’t do the haircuts below, only the one up at the top, but these are great examples for what you need to know. Take these with you when you go to the hairstylist if you need to! I promise, we appreciate a good visual becuase it helps us to identify what you see.

ASK FOR:

a blunt cut that clears the shoulders.

no layers

ask your hairstylist to help you decide on the most flattering length for your face, somewhere between your chin and your shoulders.

if your hair is superfine but you have a ton of hair, you may want to ask your hairstylist to do a subtle undercut in the back so it doesn’t appear too bulky and unflattering behind your head.

GOOD FOR:

making fine hair appear thicker.

anyone who likes to wear their hair straight.

ASK FOR:

the haircut you want, and then some subtle layers added to it. Short layers don’t mean that your top layer is short in length. Short (when describing layers) simply defines the distance between one layer and the next. Think of it like this– it’s just a “short distance” to the next layer.

ask your hairstylist to help you decide where the layers should go. Around your face? All the way around? Should there be some in the back? Each person will need weight taken out in a different spot or maybe all over.

I like to point cut when I do subtle/short layers but each stylist will do it differently. If you like a more subtle looking layer, just ask for exactly that! Make it clear that you don’t want choppy and you don’t want tons of piece-y-ness. (Is that actually a word??)

GOOD FOR:

removing that “bell” shape or “triangle” shape that can be left behind by a blunt cut.

those who like to part their hair in different places on different days. Flipping or parting your hair on one side and then switching to the other can cause one side to look very heavy. Subtle soft layers will remove some of that.

anyone who gets bored with a blunt cut.

someone wanting a short cut but also wanting to add volume.

ASK FOR:

a blunt cut on the bottom with some piece-y layers for movement and texture.

something low maintenance that can be blow dried or air dried, curled with an iron or look good straight.

anyone who lives for their 1 1/4″ curling iron and/or a perfect ponytail.

all Lauren Conrad, Rosie HW and Kate Middleton lovers! These ladies all carry a very classic and timeless look that can also be amped up to the next level with some messy waves and good product from time to time.

long layers. Again, just as I mentioned above in the short layers section, it’s not about the length of the layer you ask for! It’s about the distance between the longest layer and the shortest layer. As you see in this photo, Lily has some really long pieces and some much shorter pieces. The distance between the bottom layer and the top layer is significant. This would be considered long layers.

tell your stylist you love a boho vibe. Most hairdressers know exactly what that means by now– long layers with natural-looking messy waves. When my clients like things like this I typically reference “Free People hair” and “Olson hair”. Both of those scream natural texture and we always end up on the same page.

GOOD FOR:

natural wavy hair.

long hair that is fine (but lots of it), normal, thick or wavy hair.

those who love using a wand to curl.

anyone who loves to air dry.

ASK FOR:

major texture! Maybe even to be cut with a razor if your hairdresser thinks you need it. Razors generally give lots of texture but can also be bad for certain hair types– let your pro decide. I typically only use razors on fine hair when it needs a little bulking up.

something that will bring out some waves in your hair.

to remove any unwanted weight or bulk by adding lots and lots of layers.

GOOD FOR:

anyone who wants to rough dry and rush out the door.

those who love to wear their hair down.

face framing and those with bangs.

Stay tuned for the next “Language or Layers” hair post this week where we’ll tap into which layered haircuts are best for WAVES & CURLS!

(and yes, I’ll be doing a tutorial on how to get the waves in the top photo soon as well!)

For those with layers, it can be a huge struggle just to braid, let alone make it stay for longer than 30 minutes! Clearly, we can lock it all down with a thousand bobbypins and a whole can of superhold, but there’s a much easier way to do it and we’re excited to share it. Warning: this could be a very obvious trick to some of you pros and closeted hairdressers, but remember that a lot of people are just learning these things, but hopefully you can take something from this, too! Okay, let’s do it…

photos/post/graphic design: Kristin Ess

Here we’re going to show you what happens when you braid medium length hair with lots of layers. The hair in photo 1 is clean and blown out straight.

Clearly as you move along with your braid, the pieces start to pop out and you start losing track of where you are in your braid.

By the time you’re done, you have something like this. It’s nice and to be honest, some may prefer it like this. I still think it’s cute, I just don’t foresee that holding all day. Also, there’s a great aesthetic difference between hair with texture and hair that just has wild pieces sticking straight out. Messy texture will likely stay and even get a little messier throughout the day, where layers that are falling out might loosen the security of your braid and eventually cause it to fall apart.

The simple trick here is to curl your hair before you braid. Not an everyday wavewhere you tap the ends and leave them a little straighter, but curling all the way to the tip. Round those ends off! That will create a curve and then the ends of your layers will “hug” the braid making it SO much easier for you to spray, pin and keep the layers locked in place all day.

Once you’ve curled also try adding a little bit of waterbased pomade to your layers for additional hold. You’ll want something soft that will disappear into the hair like POMADE orBRAID PASTE!

Now try braiding your hair with the curls! This is what I do to any of my clients attending an event when I want to make sure their hair holds all night. This is also a great trick for anyone who plans on dancing (i.e.: wedding hair!)

Take a look at the first attempt vs the second attempt. Barely had to use any product after curling. You may still need a little strong holding hairspray for support here and there but nothing outrageous. Tell us if you try this or if you have any other great tricks for braiding with shorter layers!

OH! And in case you were wondering, we used this particular HOT TOOLS IRON for this tutorial.

Did you know a true heart-shaped face has a widow’s peak? True story. The cheek area is slightly wider than the hairline and then drops into a pointed chin. There are no wide-set/squared off corners along the jawline. I think Kourtney Kardashian is a pretty great example of a heart-shaped face (and some super-cute hair dos!) If you have a normal or wide forehead with no widow’s peak which narrows down and goes into a pointed chin, it’s likely that you’re actually an “Inverted Triangle”, which is coming up in the next Hair Talk. Okay, here are the best tips and tricks for you heart shaped beauties…

PARTING WITH A WIDOW’S PEAK: You never really want to force a middle part when working with a widow’s peak. If it goes there, naturally then great. Otherwise, try going slighly (even just the tiniest bit) to one side or the other. When you split the hair right down the center with a widow’s peak, it tends to look thinner on each side. Better to thicken it up by going slightly off center. Look at Kourtney in the bottom center photo– it’s allllllmost center but she just pushes the widow’s peak piece over to one side. When you try to go straight down the center, one side typically behaves and the other refuses. Make mornings easier on yourself!

DEEP SIDE PART WITH CURLS: I love this looks on a heart shaped face for two reasons. One, it does away with any parting issues caused by a widow’s peak. Two, it opens up the face and features the gorgeous jawline of a heart shaped face. Tuck the less heavy side and let the heavy side fall in front of your shoulders if your hair is long enough.

HAIRCUTS: I would say the sky’s the limit for haircuts on a heart-shaped face. Almost anything looks great except heavy bangs or an jaw-length short bob. Short bangs can be really hard to control if you have a widow’s peak and if you have cowlicks on top of that, you definitely want to skip shorter bangs.

BRAID AWAY: There’s not much more to this one than the fact that I think this is a super-cute look heart-shaped face girls. It’s a sweet, soft, feminine look that opens up your face.

LOTSA LOOSE LAYERS: A piece-y blowout on hair with lots of layers is flattering on a heart-shaped face because it frames the face and makes the face appear a little more oval. Look at Kourtney in the bottom right hand photo, the slight off center parting creates a more oval shape and diffuses the appearance of a widow’s peak almost entirely.

UPDOS: Try a voluminous bun or pony. That will balance out the over-all silhouette of a heart-shaped face. Also, don’t go “too full” with your updos. When they’re wider than the hairline, they can actually make the chin look longer/more pointed.

If you have a tip or trick you want to share with other girls who have a heart-shaped face, please feel free to share it below! xo